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Ken Burn just completed the PBS Program "America's Best
Idea." Could Ashland Parks System be Ashland's best idea?
Many cities our size would love to have aCentral Park. Ashland
purchased the Central Park property in 1900, for $32,500 to be
paid over five years.

Now, river front park construction continues and to be on target
for completion of 2010.

The City of Ashland has a generous health care package for employees. With
soaring health care cost in the news, Ashland's cost is stable or trending
downward. The pie chart at right is the national breakdown. The city has a self
insurance fund with reinsurance for individual cost exceeding $80,000. Below
is total cost for each of the last five years.

2004.............. $3,240.917
2005...............$3,393,591
2006...............$3,293,591
2007...............$3,873,049
2008...............$3,556,587

The city budgets $13,300 to insure a family and $5,270 to insure a single
person. This 2008 number is down from $14,270 and $5,395 in 2007. These 2008
costs are in line with national cost per family and single person per year

Why the decrease? The city has an aggressive wellness policy that encourages
employees do yearly medical exams and a small portion of the work week off
for excerise.

The latest addition to the Ashland bus system, two
24 passenger, two wheel chair capable buses. The
buses will be assigned the Catlettsburg and 13th
street routes. The total cost for the two buses was
$170,284 which was 100% funded by the Federal
Transit Administration. The buses have been fitted,
safety checked and are now on the road serving
citizens

To better serve our citizens and customers, the Ashland Bus System is currently reviewing bus stop
signage installation and visibility on our fixed routes. Our first route to modernize is the downtown
loop. This 4.8 mile Downtown Loop serves the downtown area, Wal-Mart, and the Ashland Town Center.
This route has 17 stops, but only had 3 signs. This route now has a sign at each stop. Each sign location
was chosen for safety and visibility for our passengers and drivers.

We have removed the A.B.S. acronym which was difficult to read and incorporated the City logo in the
new design. This change will give the citizens and customers instant brand recognition and visibility to
the City’s bus system by using the CITY logo.

Over the next few months, the bus system will educate the public on the importance of using the bus
stops. The bus stops will be an important aspect to increase the safety of our passengers as well as
keep the system running efficiently. If you have suggestions for improvement, please let me know as I
value your imput.

How much is Ashland's tax base?

Real Property ............................................$799,594,284.00

Tangible Property........................................$91,787,890.00

Motor Vehicles ..........................................$113,392,426.00

Boats ............................................................$2,037,193.00

Total Assessment of taxable property.... $1,006,811,792.00

There is no real way to tell the amount of tax exempt property as those
properties are not assessed by the county PVA.

Some years ago, the City eliminated the assessor's office and utilizies Boyd
County PVA Chuck Adkins, who provided the above figures.

STREET FROM TO

24th Street, Central Avenue - Carter Avenue

29th Street, Lexington Avenue. Belmont Street

Baer Street, Jones Avenue - Keeney Street

Carter Avenue, 16th Street - 18th Street

Cherrington Street, East Ferguson Street - Dead End

Circleview Street, Keeney Street - Dead End

Colony Pointe, Skyline Drive - Dead End

Crestview Avenue, Pike Street - Dead End

East Ferguson Street, Blackburn Avenue - Cherrington Street

Joel Street, S. 29th Street - Dawes St.

Keeney Street, Poplar Street - Baer Street

Madison Street, Glenn Street - Dead End

Mayo Plaza, 12th Street - 13th Street

Moore Street, Elam Street - Ashland Avenue

Pollard Road, 13th Street - Spring Street

Poplar Street, Belmont Street - 39th Street

Powers Road, Sherwood Drive - Shadowlawn Drive

Queen Street, Baer Street - 39th Street

Roberts Drive, Blackburn Avenue - New Bridge

Another successful Repair Affair for 2010.

Volunteers were estimated to be somewhere around 250-260. These
volunteers came from local churches, civic groups, school groups and
individual volunteers. The volunteers were able to complete repairs on 45
homes on that day. We were also able to complete some repairs on three
other homes before and after the event. That brings our total to 48 homes
this year. Our grand total in ten years is 556.

What happens when a neighbor abandons their house, there is a foreclosure, or
absentee landlord, who neglect to cut grass or allow weeds to go out of control. A
growing problem with recent heavy rain plus houses which are empty. Currently
the City will make every effort to contact the property owner to correct the
problem then issue a fine to a property owner who fails to comply. The City is not
interested in collecting fines and would much prefer compliance with existing
ordnances rather than going to court.

If the property owner cannot be located, city crews will trim the lot and place a
lien on the property.
Currently, about 55 properties are on the City's list to cut weeds and grass.

All this can devalue a neighborhood when a house becomes abandoned for
whatever reason.

Currently, Ashland offers free recycling to residents who wish to
drop off items at various locations. Ashland is contemplating a
voluntary curb-side recycling program to residents at a fixed cost to
be added to your water bill. Under the current proposal, this will
eliminate the drop off dumpsters.

I favor keeping some or all the drop off locations because some will
not be able to afford the added fee to the water bill, some live in
apartments and wish to recycle.

The city commission recently voted to restrict door to door
sales during non daylight hours. This was sparked by a
company going door to door after dark trying to sell burglar
alarm and security systems while telling residents that they
live in “a high crime area.”

The ordnance in no way will impact trick or treat activities
or non-profit groups such as school sales items.

Never tell a salesperson you are home alone.

Two more restaurant openings in Ashland. D-Ray's Montana Grill will take
the vacant Boston Beanery Building on Greenup Avenue. Porky's BBQ, an
Ohio based company, will locate in the building across from Starbucks in
the 1200 Block of Winchester.

The Ashland City Commission voted to acquire the former Nobil Shoe store at 1525
Winchester. This building was purchased with federal Community Development
Block Grant Funds (CDBG) This building, next to Pendelton Art Gallery right in the
center of the central business district, has fallen into disrepair and has become a
terrible eyesore.

Next, most likely will be the demolition of the building which is only 25 feet wide,
then perhaps a dining or stage area for downtown events.

Ashland is a fan of restoring buildings but this building is beyond repair with the
ceiling caved in and various other problems. A perfect use of CDBG funds to
improve the 1500 Block of Wnchester